Bookworm

Read!

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading   them. ~ Joseph Brodsky

Character and Intellect

"Character and Intellect:

the two poles of our capacity; one without the other is but halfway to happiness. Intellect sufficeth not, character is also needed. On the other hand, it is the fool's misfortune, to fail in obtaining the position, the employment, the neighbourhood, and the circle of friends that suit him." [The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Balthasar Gracian: Aphorisms 1-30]

Quotes

"I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum."
- Frances Willard

"We are coming to understand health not as the absence of disease, but rather as the process by which individuals maintain their sense of coherence (i.e. sense that life is comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful) and ability to function in the face of changes in themselves and their relationships with their environment."
- Aaron Antonovsky

Carpe diem

There is only one day left, always starting over: It is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk. ~ Jean-Paul Sartre

Michael Ondaatje on editing one's work

"I reread nothing. I intentionally don't look at the stuff at all until I've finished the book. At that stage when you go back and reread for the first time, it's kind of horrific. But I don't want to have everything perfectly made before I take the next step. It seems like moving forward with armed guards. – Michael Ondaatje from an interview about editing" [The artful edit - Susan Bell]

Quote

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

[I was unable to verify this quote in a reputable source; will pull it later if I find it's not correct.]

Quote

"Every exit is an entry somewhere else." ~ Tom Stoppard

The Oars of Success

"In act, the ability to start out upon your own impulse is fundamental to the gift of keeping going upon your own terms, not to mention the further and more fulfilling gift of getting started all over again -- never resting upon the oars of success or in the doldrums of disappointment. . . Getting started, keeping going, getting started again -- in art and in life, it seems to me this is the essential rhythm." ~ Seamus Heaney

Definitions of Courage

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. - Ambrose Redmoon

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. - Mark Twain

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. - John Wayne"
[Link: The Courage to Live Consciously by Steve Pavlina.]

Organizing

"Organizing is the process by which we create environments that enable us to live, work, and relax exactly as we want to. When we are organized, our homes, offices, and schedules reflect and encourage who we are, what we want, and where we are going."

-- Julie Morgenstern, author Organizing from the Inside Out